Kristen Bell explains her past relationship struggle with Dax Shepard

'We actually disagree about 99 percent of the things on the planet, but we have an ultimate respect for each other'

From the editors of InStyle US Words by Isabel Jones

In a year of celebrity breakups, from Chris Pratt and Anna Faris to Fergie to Josh Duhamel, there are few star couples left to calm that voice within us that chants ‘LOVE ISN’T REAL’ after each and every announcement.

One such Hollywood pair is Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard, whose love has made its way onto many a vision board in the past 10 years.

That being said, things weren’t always so peachy for the parents of two. In an episode airing Wednesday, Bell went on Harry to discuss how her relationship with Shepard has changed — and it’s way more dramatic than we could’ve imagined.

‘When we first met, we fell madly in love, and I loved the dramatic exit,’ the Good Place star told host Harry Connick Jr.

‘We’d get in a fight, because we’d fight a lot — and I’d yell something and I’d slam the bedroom door, then I’d slam the front door, then I’d get in my car and I’d skid out the driveway, and then I’d just go sit around the corner in my car. And it felt so good, and I realised how incredibly toxic it was, only after he pointed it out,’ she explained.

‘Three months into our relationship he was like, “Yeah, you can’t leave anymore during fights. I’m not gonna do that.” And I was like, “What?” and he was like, “You can’t do that” — he has a very high standard and a strong code of ethics. He’s like “No, I have more respect for myself — I love you, but I’m not going to do that my whole life.”’

Of course, that’s hardly the end of the story. Dax helped his wife-to-be by setting some rules. ‘He said, “How about the next time we fight, you’re allowed to leave the room but not the house,”’ Bell said. After sticking to the rule, Shepard upped the stakes, telling Kristen that after their next fight she wouldn’t be allowed to leave the room.

‘I got majorly trained,’ she said of the practice. ‘And now we fight beautifully,’ Bell added. ‘We actually disagree about 99 percent of the things on the planet, but we have an ultimate respect for each other and he said, “We’re allowed to disagree, you just can’t be like crazy when we’re fighting.”’

There you have it: opposites really do attract!

Next time you get into a fight with your S.O., consider Bell and Shepard’s journey to happiness.